Tag Archive: Body image

Today the Thread, an entity of Yahoo! Shine , had Ashley Falcon (author of Marie Claire‘s Big Girl in a Skinny World column) address issues dealing with myths related to plus size fashions. Mostly she debunked all the plus size fashion “don’ts” we’ve heard all of our lives. Well I’m afraid to say I’ve never listened to any of that hubbub about wearing only solid colors and muumuus. It just isn’t my style. So in celebration of fully embracing our lumps, bumps, and curves I urge you to try some of her tips. Just to add to what Ms. Falcon said, I have a set of definite Do’s that I consider at all times and hope you will too.

DO wear color. (Black isn’t the only thing that can look slimming.)

DO wear jeans. (Proper fit is essential.)

DO wear shape-wear…I personally love having extra support. It will give you cleaner lines under your clothes. And if you get it in the correct size and support level (they range from light to extra firm support) you will feel confident!

DO what makes you feel comfortable. If it’s hot, go sleeveless. If you’re at the beach don’t smother yourself in clothes, find the most flattering swimsuit you can. Hint: Wearing more clothes doesn’t conceal your size it just makes you HOT! And not in the good way. ;~)

So, I hope all you plus size fashionista hopefuls out there will check out the video.

Hello everyone! I’m back! I feel better this week. Mostly because I’ve made my decision! So, everything is going well. I know you probably were thinking, “WTF Is this overly reflective BS?!?!?” I know…and I promise not to write another deeply self-reflective post again…Well, for now anyway. :~) With that being said, I hope you find the following post encouraging and thought-provoking. Stay happy and healthy!

This topic came to mind as I was cruising the internet the other day. I thought about how people consistently ask me, “What’s your goal weight?” I suppose I should have an answer but I don’t. I mean even at my size I never wanted to be “skinny.” I don’t have a goal weight, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have goals. Generally they deal with overall health and not vanity. I want to walk up a flight of stairs without feeling as though I’m going to die. I want to run short and long distances. I want to have more energy. These are my top priorities…but don’t get me wrong. I am young; and like any other woman my age I want to feel sexy and desirable. I just don’t have a specific size that I believe will make me feel that way. To be honest if you catch me on the right day, even now, I feel FINE AS HELL… 😀 I’m not saying I’m prefect. I too have some fairly vain reasons for wanting to slim down. Particularly I would like to wear heels without feeling like an elephant balancing on stilts. Then, I would like to not have to wear “supportive undergarments” with every dress I own. (BTW: When you’re my size you better batten down the hatches, otherwise it looks like you never stop moving. You just constantly jiggle. It’s like a life-size bowl of jello. lol It’s just not a good look.)

Despite all that, I am a HUGE advocate for Size acceptance and being healthy at every size. Even while embarking on my own weight-loss journey I believe that people should work toward being healthy, not being skinny. And although people automatically associate a slender frame with being healthy, clearly this is not the case, because there are many people with severe eating disorders that cause them to be thin and unhealthy. That is an extreme but there are also “normal” sized people who aren’t healthy either. Generally they look “okay” on the outside but their internal systems are shot to hell. On the other hand, there are many people with eating disorders that cause them to be hefty and extremely unhealthy as well. The trick is to find a balance. Not everyone isn’t meant to thin. Some people just aren’t meant to be large. However, the problem comes when society tries to force the idea there is one type of beauty, or personification of health. Society strongly believes that there is only one way to be those things and being very slender is it. Unfortunately, I don’t believe this idea will change any time soon, but in recent years we have seen a global initiative to disprove this idea. But what can you do to help?

Well, next time you feel “fat” stop and consider what made you feel that way. Was it the 2 liter of soda you just drank. Or was it the medium pizza you ate in one sitting. If that is the case, perhaps it isn’t that you feel “fat” but rather unhealthy. So the solution is simple. Change your habits! Hit the gym. Drink more water. Go see a doctor. However, proceed with caution. It is easy to get sucked into the Fat-talk we are all susceptible to. It is easy to be hard on ourselves and even harder to love ourselves, rolls, bumps, lumps, cellulite and all. Try not to focus on a size per-say, but rather focus on overall health. I’ve found when I don’t watch the scale waiting for the pounds to slide off, they do just that. If I focus solely on the numbers on the scale I often feel discouraged if I haven’t met my goal; usually ignoring the small changes I’ve accomplished that week. For example: instead of saying I didn’t lose 2 pounds think about what you did accomplish. Did you walk a mile faster? Did you exercise longer? Were you sore after you workout? Did you lose inches? Did you eat less sugar and more protein? Did you drink more water? Etc. Focus on the small changes and ultimately they will lead to big results.